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“If I wasn’t sponsored with Compassion, I’d be dead right now,” says Jey Mbiro from Kenya.
Jey was just nine years old when he found himself in prison after stealing a purse on the streets of Nairobi in Kenya. The experience was a frightening wake-up call for the young boy who grew up believing that crime was the only way to build a better life.
Jey grew up in Mathare, a community in the Kenyan capital. Many homes are single-room dwellings where whole families live, sleep, eat, and cook. While it may be crowded inside, worse threats often lurk outside.
“At night, it was too dangerous for us to go out even to use the bathroom,” Jey says.
Crime and drugs are commonplace in Mathare. Without money for school, children like Jey can be easy prey for gangs.
While normal nine-year-olds look forward to going to the park and playing with their friends, Jey had more serious concerns – feeding his family. As their situation worsened, he began begging on the streets, but it wasn’t long before he was in trouble with the law for stealing and dealing drugs.
A cry to God
In prison, Jey felt completely alone. His family couldn’t afford to visit and his ‘friends’ deserted him. He called out to the only person he could think of – God.
“I knelt down and I prayed for two things. I prayed for God to take me out of prison, and I wanted to get out of poverty,” he remembers.
Hope of sponsorship
Jey’s first prayer was quickly answered, and he was released from prison, but life was still tough.
Thankfully, Jey’s grandmother intervened. Even though she had no money for the fees, she marched Jey to the local school and, in faith, requested that they educate her grandson. Amazingly, the school agreed.
Being in school meant Jey stayed out of trouble, but with no money for food, he remembers sitting in lessons with an empty stomach, struggling to concentrate.
“The teacher would be speaking, but all I could hear was ‘blah, blah, blah,’” he says.
The cycle of poverty is broken
Jey’s life began to truly change once a Compassion project started at the local church.
Jey vividly remembers the day he was registered. “Everyone in my family was rejoicing!” he says.
Pressure on the family eased as sponsorship meant Jey’s school fees were paid for, his uniform provided, and Jey received health check-ups, too. Additional supplies were even sent home for his family.
For a growing nine-year-old, the highlight of the week was project day. “Every Saturday, I’d go to the project and eat lots and lots of food,” he laughs.
Speaking to the soul
But it wasn’t purely practical benefits that Jay received.
The fact that someone on the other side of the world knew his name and cared enough to write to him, had a profound impact on this young Kenyan boy.
“The first time I heard the words ‘I love you’ were from my sponsor,” he says. “These things started speaking into my life and encouraging me. My sponsor gave me so much that can’t be taken away from me. My sponsor gave me love, education, and the word of God… Through Compassion, I was introduced to Jesus. If everything else fails then the word of God will not.”
The boy who thought his only option in life was to join a gang became determined to gain a college education.
The legacy lives on
Jey has gone on to complete a degree in youth ministry at Daystar University in Kenya but he’s never forgotten that frightened little boy he once was.
“We didn’t have role models in Mathare Valley, so I want to be a role model for the children there,” he says.
Jey also developed a passion for music. As a DJ, Jey now uses music to connect with young people and share his faith. It’s his way of thanking those who supported him and ensuring their legacy lives on.
“If I wasn’t sponsored with Compassion, I’d be dead right now. So many of the friends I grew up with are either dead or in prison. Sponsorship is about more than just the money. It’s about God calling you to help change a life.”
